Opinions

Two wildfires that burned more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle were caused by downed power lines, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

The Trans-Atlantic slave exports were concentrated along the coast of West Africa from Senegal down to Angola. From these locations, Portugese ships sailed across the South Atlantic Ocean to Salvador and Brazil and around the lower Americas to Peru, while European and American ships sailed up the east coast of Brazil and dropped off their cargo with stops at Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Guyana; Venezuela; Dominican Republic; Haiti; Jamaica; Cuba and along the North and South Carolina coast on the Barrier Islands. Some of the descendants of the island African Gulla slaves with their unique heritage still live in the area. Many of my ancestors came through South Carolina and North Carolina.

“That’s one thing Earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times and concentrate on the good ones.” Kurt Vonnegut Some will say that at present we are living in awful times (I would disagree). Many are stressed by everything from societal unrest to the high price of eggs, and more.

A wildfire in the Texas Pan - handle has consumed more than 1 million acres and as of Sunday was just 15% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. It is the largest wildfire in Texas history.

“What Cats Like”

Early voting in the March 5 primary election ends Friday with a host of candidates on the ballot in both parties, including president, U.S. Senate, all 38 Texas U.S. representatives, all 150 Texas House representatives, and down to local races for district attorney, sheriff and other positions.

The Columbus Chamber of Commerce strives to be at the table of the many conversations happening in the region on workforce, transportation, housing, business growth, economic stability, and community development. As we analyze what is internal to determine where we can help guide and determine outcomes, we also must analyze what is external, the areas where we have little to no ability to help guide or determine outcomes, i.e., weather, national economy, and international conflicts.

“A Borrowed Plate”

Pre-Civil War Fayette County, Texas counted on slave labor to assist with the production of corn, tobacco, wool, and cotton. The region was home to 3,786 slaves out of a total population of 11,604. These slaves had the legal status of personal property; they were subjected to being bought and sold, hired out, and mortgaged. No rights to marry, have a family, own property, or free themselves existed.

“I don’t even have any good skills. You know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills. Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!” Napoleon Dynamite.

“A New Life for Felix”

My appreciation for typewriters began in Jr. High. The low-budget private school that I attended did not have the money to supply our typing class with typewriters, so students had to provide their own. For almost two years, four semesters of typing class, I carried my Mom’s Royal portable to school every day. The case barely fit in my locker.

A federal judge is expected to rule quickly on the constitutionality of a Texas law about to go into effect that institutes new state penalties for illegal border crossings. During a hearing last week, U.S. District Judge David Ezra said he had concerns that other states would follow Texas’ lead in creating their own immigration laws – a power given exclusively to the federal government under the U.S. Constitution.

Part 1

A number of years ago, in a small town not far away, our family had the good fortune to attend a small country church.

“Donuts in the middle of the day”

DALLAS - At Eddie Ber -

Lt. Gov Dan Patrick joined with the world’s largest invest- ment firm to pitch investors on building natural gas power plants in Texas at a summit held last week in Houston.

The standoff between Texas and the federal government at the southern border has ignited a fight over states' rights, with secessionists latching onto the ordeal as a reason for Texas to become “an independent and self-governing nation,” according to the longtime leader of Texas’ unlikely secessionist movement, Daniel Miller.

The Texas Education Agency’s annual report was released last week. It indicates per-student funding in the 2021-2022 school year averaged $14,928 per student, up 42% since 2011. However, state funding has only risen slightly in the past decade, while local funding has increased substantially.

Help America Vote Day 2024: Help America Vote Day is a day of action established by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to encourage people across the U.S. to get involved in the electoral process by signing up to be a poll worker and an opportunity to share information on how to register and cast a ballot. By encouraging more people to become poll workers in their communities, Help America Vote Day is addressing the critical shortage of poll workers, strengthening our republic, inspiring greater civic engagement and volunteerism, and helping to ensure election offices have the staff they need throughout 2024.